A Drastic Change
by EmblemQueen
Summary: After many uncertainties of his return, a surprise veteran finally shows up at Smash Castle to announce that he's back and he's looking forward to a warm welcome from his fellow Smashers. But the reactions of his old friends end up not quite being what he expected. Implied Ike x Elincia and Marth x Caeda.


**Author's Note: I actually wrote something for a fandom I hadn't yet written for! This is a oneshot, but I may "continue" it in the future, who knows? I wrote it in celebration of a certain awesome blue-haired mercenary's return to Smash Bros.! Cause he's just that awesome. :3 It's also reflecting his updated design and the fact that people wished/expected Chrom to replace him. Hope you enjoy! ^^**

A Drastic Change

When the sun rose one Friday morning at Smash Castle, its inhabitants weren't hesitant to scramble out of bed and get dressed in the blink of an eye. Everyone dashed about preparing for the day, making sure to look their best and then report to the main hall for a meeting. They had learned recently that another member of the group, one of their veterans, would be arriving that day to rejoin them. Every member was from a different land or world in what was known as the Nintendo Universe, and some time before, a group of people built the Smash Castle on a large island so people from around the universe could come together and have friendly battles and tournaments. However, it was invite only to prevent too large of a crowd. The heads of the castle, a short plumber in a red shirt, overalls, and a matching red hat named Mario and a young swordsman in a green tunic and hat named Link, finished preparing the earliest and walked through the place to make sure everyone was accounted for and doing what they should be.

The two were on the second floor and came to Peach's room. Peach was the princess from Mario's world, the Mushroom Kingdom, known for by her blonde hair, pink dress, and her bubbly, feminine personality. She opened the door just as Mario was about to knock.

"Oh! Good morning, boys!" Peach greeted with a smile. She was still in a pink night dress and carrying a pink towel and toiletries.

"What the—? Peach, you're not even dressed yet?" Mario realized.

"Well of course, the rule is to look your best!" Peach replied as she walked towards the bathroom right across the hall. "And I'm a princess. It takes me a little time."

"…Well, fine, just don't be late again."

"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."

Mario merely brought a gloved hand to his face.

"Oh mama mia…"

The bathroom door was closed, so Peach knocked on it. However, she heard no answer. Link was about to say something, but the princess interrupted.

"And before you ask, Link, Zelda can't make any promises either."

"Lovely," Link grumbled. Zelda was the princess of their homeland, Hyrule. She was similar to Peach in that both of them cared about their appearances. Well, except for when Zelda put on her Sheik persona. Link had no idea why she still did that, but she insisted that it was too fun to give up.

"But she better not be long," Link continued. "You both know we're never sure exactly when the new arrivals get here. This one could be at the door in the next twenty minutes!"

"We're aware, Link, trust me," Peach assured with a wink. She then opened the bathroom door, only to find a huge cloud of steam float out into everyone's faces.

"Whoa!" Mario cried.

"What the—!" Peach began, but was interrupted.

"Huh?!" a familiar male voice blurted. Some of the steam soon cleared away to reveal a male figure with cerulean hair…completely undressed behind the partly translucent shower door.

"WAAAAH!" Marth, the prince of Altea, bellowed as he used his arms to cover himself.

"EEEEEK!" Peach cried, nearly giving Link and Mario earaches.

"PEACH! WHAT IN THE NAME OF NINTENDO ARE YOU DOING?!" Marth exploded, his face red with embarrassment.

"Marth! I didn't know anyone was in here!" Peach replied, covering her eyes. Link and Mario didn't hesitate to do the same.

"You should've knocked! I'm not done yet!"

"You idiot, I did knock! You should have answered!"

"Well I didn't hear over the stinking shower!"

"Then why don't you turn that thing down? You don't need that much water! It's no wonder we run low all the time!"

"What?!"

"GUYS!" Link shouted. "That's enough! We don't have time for petty bickering. Just get ready."

"Seriously. We're running a little behind schedule as it is," Mario added.

"And I still need to check on Toon. He started having nightmares about Ganondorf again."

Toon Link, a younger and more childish version of Link from an island in a large sea, had fought Ganondorf himself before, but always insisted that the one that had joined Smash Castle's tournaments was "a lot scarier."

"Alright, sorry…" Peach apologized. "This really was an embarrassing accident though."

"Fine, fine, now can a guy have a little privacy here?" Marth said, still irritated.

"Oh, right," Mario realized, since the bathroom door was still open. After it was quickly closed, everyone returned to their business.

"Those two would sure make a funny couple though," Link jibed as he and Mario resumed their duty.

"Hey, watch it," Mario warned.

"Huh? Oh, right, I forgot. You like Peach. Heh, heh."

"It's no different than you liking Zelda."

"Touché. But enough about crushes, let's keep moving. We've got to get everyone downstairs soon. Pit could alert us of the member's arrival at any time now."

Pit, a young angel from a far off land and the only member from there, was usually the official lookout since he had the flying skills for it.

Whenever a new arrival was on the way, everyone met in the main hall so they could greet the guest and welcome him or her back. The newcomers were then introduced to the returning veteran so they could get acquainted. If the guest was a newcomer him or herself, they were given a small welcome party to commemorate being accepted into the group. Today's arrival wasn't a newcomer, so the party wasn't necessary, but there was still a lot of excitement going around as Smash members began piling into the room. No one ever knew beforehand exactly which Smash member was to show up, so talk of who it could be was always the topic of conversation.

Some members suggested that it was probably Ness or Lucas, as they were the only members from their world and neither of them had shown up yet.

Others brought up the idea of Falco, who was Fox's partner in their home, and Fox was currently the only member from there that had arrived. Fox himself often wondered what was keeping his friend, even though it was known that Falco liked to get in a lot of training before a Smash tournament.

And still other suggestions included Captain Falcon, the lone member of his racing world, Meta Knight, Kirby's rival, and more. Nobody could stop discussing the possibilities.

Meanwhile, at an edge of the large island on which Smash Castle stood, a small ship pulled into the harbor. The gangplank then descended to allow its passengers to disembark. Two figures emerged from inside, one tall and hunky and the other around average. The tall and hunky one appeared to have a long cloak. The sun had not fully risen out of the horizon, so it was still fairly dark. Even so, the tall figure seemed eager to continue his journey.

"Well, here you are, sir," the average figure spoke up. "Not many people expected it, most likely, but it's good to have you back here! And in this spanking new look too!"

"Thanks, I'm glad to be back as well," the tall figure spoke up, in a deep, masculine voice. "Everyone's going to be so surprised and pleased, especially since I got to come back earlier than even I anticipated."

"I bet! Well, enjoy your stay!"

"I will!"

With that, the tall figure made for the castle, breaking into a jog. He carried something large over his shoulder that appeared to be shaped like a sword. A smile plastered his face as he traveled up the dirt path.

"I can't wait to see my other-worldly friends again," he said to himself. "They really made me feel welcome when I was new. I'd better hurry so I don't keep them waiting!"

The man then increased his pace a little, excited as ever to reach Smash Castle. He missed his friends back home whenever he went there, but it was a great honor to be a part of the Smash group and everyone at home was proud of him.

Back at the castle, nearly everyone was in the main hall at this point, with a few unsurprising exceptions. Peach and Zelda were a little late as usual, causing Mario and Link to sigh. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong also showed up later than most of the group, having probably gotten lost again. They did a lot, Diddy even more so since he hadn't been a member for as long as his gorilla buddy. No one was ever surprised at this, however, as these two were definitely not the sharpest tools in the shed. Everyone was just thankful that despite being a monkey and an ape, they were smart enough to know how to follow directions.

Now, however, all everyone could do was await Pit's confirmation that the new arrival approached. It usually didn't take a long time, but if it did, the others were able to keep themselves busy. They continued to converse, played a game, or some other simple activity. The pink ball shape named Kirby bounced around a lot, the Kongs snacked on bananas, Mario and his green-clad brother, Luigi would perform little tricks with their fireballs, and so on. Finally, however, the big front door of the castle opened and Pit came through, his white wings flapping like there was no tomorrow.

"Guys, I saw a figure heading up here! Just a couple more minutes!" he announced.

"Ah, excellent!" Link replied. "Could you tell who it was?"

"Actually, no, come to think of it. But he looked tall and sort of bulky."

"Hmm…" Mario contemplated.

Everyone's first thought was Captain Falcon, but Pit said it couldn't have been him, the body shape wasn't quite right. The figure was wearing what looked like a cloak or cape too, which Captain Falcon never wore, and was carrying something over his shoulder. Ganondorf, Link's arch enemy in their world, was then brought up as the only possibility left, although they wouldn't know why he would be carrying anything. Luigi instantly shuddered at the thought.

"Oh no! He scares me all the time just for fun!" he blurted. "And Bowser sometimes joins him in it!"

Luigi was brave and a good fighter in his own right, but he was jumpy and easily frightened as well. Mario knew what he meant, as he never did like that Ganondorf pulled such mean tricks. Both Mario and Link just wished the guy would leave his dirty shenanigans back in Hyrule for once. And that Bowser would show that he knows better. The large, turtle-like beast with the green, spiky shell was Mario and Luigi's nemesis in the Mushroom Kingdom, but more than once, they found themselves on the same side.

"Now let's calm down, Luigi," Samus, an inter-galactic bounty hunter who wore a powerful orange suit, replied. "We need to see who comes through that door first. Also, I don't know why, but I feel like we're forgetting someone…"

When Samus wore her suit, one could never tell her gender, and this resulted in a lot of mistakes on that matter.

"Maybe, but who?" Zelda wondered.

The gang contemplated only for a few moments when the door opened once again, and their new arrival appeared at last.

"Hey, everyone!" The man greeted with a smile. "I'm back!"

…But it wasn't Ganondorf.

Everyone's eyes widened as the room became eerily silent. For the person they beheld was unidentifiable for a split second. The first thing that caught their eye was the man's large biceps and somewhat unfamiliar brown outfit. However, the red cape, green headband, and large, golden sword soon gave him away. The group simply stared at him for the next few seconds until someone finally spoke.

"…Ike?" Link uttered.

"Yeah! It's me!" Ike replied. "But… Why is everyone just staring at me?"

Link wasn't sure what to say next. And still no one else could say anything either, it seemed. Ike didn't notice, but Marth had uttered "Crud" to himself quietly.

"Er… Hello! What's the matter?" Ike continued, his smile disappearing. "You all know me."

It was true, the gang did know Ike. He had been new to Smash Castle during the last set of events. But the thought of him returning had never crossed their minds. However, now that their memories were refreshed, they also noticed that this wasn't exactly the same Ike they now remembered. The last time they had seen him, he was a good few inches shorter, didn't have nearly as much muscle, and was wearing a near completely different outfit. His face also looked…much more serious. His unruly blue hair even seemed a little different this time.

"Guys…? Come on, somebody say something!" Ike spoke up again. He soon spotted Marth a few paces from Link and Mario.

"Ah, Marth! I knew I'd see you here again, my friend!" he greeted and approached him. Ike threw one of his large arms around Marth's shoulders and gave them a pinching squeeze. Since they were both from the same world, albeit different parts of said world, the two managed to become pretty good friends last time.

"Ergh! Heh… Hey, Ike!" Marth stuttered. "Nice to see you again!"

"What's wrong? You don't need to be afraid of me," Ike replied, frowning again. "Seriously, what is _with_ everyone today?"

Link finally managed to utter a few more words a moment later.

"I-Ike… You…changed," he noticed.

"Uh, yeah, it's called training and changing clothes. Ever heard of them, genius?"

"Oh, r-right. Sorry. But…that physique! W-What did you do to yourself?"

"Hm? Like I said, I train and exercise a lot. You know that."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Mmm, oh my…" a female voice unfamiliar to Ike spoke up. A white-skinned woman with a short brown ponytail approached him. She was donned in only a light blue tank top shirt and black capris.

"You certainly don't need my help at all then, do you, handsome?" she flirted with a smile and grasped Ike's right arm.

"Er…" was all Ike could get out of his mouth.

"Oh, he _is_ totally handsome!" Peach added. "Ike was a real looker before, but woooow! Hee hee!"

"I can agree with that! He's just…ah, Ike, you _cutie!_" Zelda jumped in. Both princesses soon grasped Ike's other arm.

"Uh…!" Ike gasped, startled and confused at the same time.

Samus removed her helmet to reveal her long blonde ponytail and blue eyes and soon joined them.

"You did get even easier on the eyes, I have to admit," she said, joining the brown ponytail woman on Ike's right arm.

But it didn't end there. Another woman that vaguely resembled Peach walked up to him. She was also blonde, but wearing a light blue dress and carrying a magical stick with a star shape on the tip. She was followed by a strange, star-shaped creature.

"Oh wow… I'm just meeting you for the first time, but the other girls have excellent taste! Hee hee," she said.

"Alright, now I'm getting annoyed," Mario growled, whispering to Link.

"Me too," Link seconded. "He's stealing our women!"

"Captain Falcon is going to go crazy too," Fox added. "Not only did Ike get here first and probably has him out-muscled now, but Falcon has a thing for Samus too."

"Oh yeah, he's not going to like this at all."

"Oh, let us touch your muscles some time, please?" Peach begged Ike, she and the others still clinging to him.

Fortunately for Ike, Marth stepped in before he could reply.

"Hey, hey, uh, let's give the guy a little space first," he suggested to the females.

"Oh, alright…" Zelda agreed. The ladies then released Ike's arms, secretly relieving the swordsman.

"Thanks, Marth," Ike finally spoke up. "So, who are the new girls?"

"Ah, right. The lady with the brown ponytail is Wii Fit Trainer. She comes from a place that does a fitness program," Marth explained. "And the blonde in the blue dress is Rosalina. She lives with these star people called Lumas in outer space."

"I see… It's, erm, nice to meet you both."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you too!" Rosalina replied happily.

"Same here!" Wii Fit Trainer seconded. "I think even my male counterpart could learn a thing or two from you!"

"Um… Male counterpart?" Ike wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"She means the male Wii Fit Trainer. He came too," Marth explained and pointed to a brown-haired man that did indeed look like a male version of Wii Fit Trainer. "Don't ask why, because I have no idea. It's the same case with—"

"OW! HEY! Toon, what was that for?!" a young brown-haired boy with a red t-shirt and blue shorts shouted. Marth and Ike looked over to see him on the floor next to Toon Link.

"…Him," Marth finished with an annoyed sigh.

"I didn't know you were behind me, you stupid head! I fell by accident!" Toon Link retaliated.

"The group got…another kid?" Ike uttered, almost speechless.

"He calls himself Villager. He comes from some place where animal folk live. I can't really explain it," Marth replied. "But he has a female counterpart too. Why he of all people was accepted to this group though, I can't answer either."

"Okay…"

"Well, let's introduce you to the rest of the new people we got so far. There's a few more."

"Alright, thanks."

Marth then brought Ike over to a short black-haired man wearing a black tank top and green shorts. He had large green gloves on his hands. Marth introduced him as Little Mac, a guy that did a sport called boxing. Apparently it was just punching people inside a sort of arena. Next, there was a small blue robotic boy named Megaman. Though why he was called Mega_man_ when he clearly had the appearance of a child was beyond Ike. Ike had little understanding of robotics since they didn't exist in his world, but he at least knew what a robot was. Lastly, there was a large, blue frog-like creature with its tongue wrapped around its neck. _Another Pokemon_, Ike thought. He'd learned about them during his first stay at Smash Castle. Marth said its name was Greninja, and it was fast and stealthy and used water attacks.

As Ike greeted his new fellow Smashers, however, the people he already knew hardly approached him. Link, Mario, Fox, Kirby, and everyone else just stared at him as if he were a complete stranger that would attack them at any second. But why was this? Ike would never intentionally harm them. He might inflict an injury or two during Smash battles, but besides that, he did his best to be a nice guy. _Just what is going on here?_ Ike repeatedly asked himself.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" Ike inquired. "No one seems to be glad I'm back… Except the women, that is… Everyone else is just staring at me like I'm some freak."

"Oh uh… I'm sure they're happy, they're just shocked to see you show up now!" Marth replied.

"I suppose. I did get here earlier than even I expected."

Ike wished to say hi to the remaining members that he hadn't yet greeted, but he couldn't get much of a word out of anyone. Either they all stammered or they backed away from him. Ike merely sighed as he began heading for the door to the upper floors.

"Alright fine, if no one feels like talking, I'm going to my room to get settled," he decided in irritation.

"Uh… Ike, hold on," Mario spoke up with a gulp.

"What now?" Ike grumbled with a groan.

"We, uh…never prepared your room."

"…Terrific. I guess I'm doing that too then. See you at breakfast."

With that, Ike practically stormed out. Marth could only let out a depressed sigh, knowing that the entire group messed up big time.

Ike could only repeat the same question over and over in his head as he made for his old room on the second floor. Why did they not appreciate him anymore? Why was he no longer fitting in? Sure, the girls adored him now, but that wasn't what Ike was looking for. He wanted the same enjoyment he'd had the first time. Unfortunately, the sight of his room didn't do anything to help his mood.

Mario had been telling the truth. His room was left completely unprepared. No mattress was on the bed, no pillows or blankets were sitting anywhere, no curtains on the window. It hadn't even been cleaned. Cobwebs lined every corner and dust covered everything. Ike wasn't much for cleaning, but he certainly wasn't going to sleep there the way it currently looked.

With that, Ike set his sword, Ragnell, up against a nearby wall and made for a storage room at the other end of the floor. He brought a mattress back to his room and placed it on the bed. It was a good thing he had worked out the way he had, or carrying such a heavy object wouldn't have been so easy. He then made another trip for pillows, blankets, and curtains and placed them where they belonged as well. He also grabbed a feather duster so he could sit in that room without coughing every ten seconds.

Ike hadn't needed to prepare his own room before, but he had no choice. It didn't seem like anyone cared anymore, not even Marth, who he had warmed up to the most during his stay. When he was finished, he unbuckled his armor and plopped down on the bed to rest up a little after his journey before going to the mess hall for breakfast. Ike then produced a gold locket from a small bag on his side. It had been given to him by the woman he loved, Queen Elincia of Crimea, as a good luck charm and held a picture of her inside. She too loved him with all of her heart and even wished that she could someday join Ike at Smash Castle. Only, her duties as queen of their homeland came first.

Did Ike dare tell the other women in the castle that he already had a girlfriend though? He didn't like the idea of pretending to be single, but he didn't find upsetting them to be appealing either. Right now, it seemed like they were the only ones that appreciated him anymore. On the flipside, however, Mario and Link would definitely be more at ease since they still wished for Peach and Zelda's hearts. Captain Falcon might not hate him as much as he was probably going to either. Ike and Captain Falcon had enjoyed having a friendly rivalry over their strength, and even having arm wrestles once in a while. Ike never really took it that seriously though, he just enjoyed the company. He never expected, however, that he'd out-muscle him, arrive first, and get Samus's attention.

"Oh, Elincia…" Ike uttered after opening the locket. He often talked to the picture inside like it was Elincia herself. "Did I make a mistake coming back here? I sure hope not…"

Ike then let out a depressed sigh. He at least needed to try to make the best of things, however. Perhaps time will heal, as they say.

Unfortunately, the day didn't get much better. When Ike went to the mess hall and grabbed himself a plate, he sat down at one of the tables, only to have others move away from him. They just gave him the same looks from before. Peach, Zelda, and the other females soon offered to sit with him, causing Ike to sigh again in irritation. He decided the hell with it, he'll cave into the women's desires. As long as he didn't let this slip to Elincia the next time he saw her and none of the girls tried to get him to date them, things would be fine.

"At least you all still appreciate me," Ike commented with a smile.

"Oh, we do, we do!" Peach assured. "Even more than before!"

"Peach is right!" Zelda seconded. "We love the new you, Ike!"

"You're amazingly strong and fit…" Wii Fit Trainer commented.

"Totally!" Samus added. "Not much can beat this… Wooow…"

"I've never seen such possible strength before!" Rosalina said.

"Ahh…" Ike uttered bashfully, his face going red. "Thanks."

"Hee hee! Now can we touch your muscles? Pleeease?" Peach begged again.

"Yeah, Ike, pleeeease?" the others joined in. Peach even batted her eyelashes.

"Oh, uh…" Ike began. He glanced over at Mario and Link's table, and much to his relief, they didn't even seem to be paying attention.

"Ah, what the heck. Why not?" Ike finally agreed. The ladies giggled happily as he lifted both his arms to the table's level so they could feel his biceps. Ike flexed them as well, and as expected, all five women loved the experience. _Elincia would so slaughter me for this…_ Ike thought. _But nothing else is making me feel better._

"Oh, amaaaazing!" Peach complimented.

"Like I said, wooow!" Samus repeated.

"So strong! I need to get Link to work out like this!" Zelda decided.

"Mario too!" Peach agreed. "He's strong in his own right, but he sure doesn't look it! Hee hee."

"Luigi could use such toughening up himself, now that I think about it," Rosalina said. "But oh my, Ike, you're real eyecandy."

Ike couldn't help but put on a large grin. Perhaps the girls didn't desire to pursue him after all. Well, Samus still could, but the others mentioned other men. Ike couldn't really picture Rosalina with Luigi the way he could Peach and Mario or Zelda and Link, but even so.

"Heh," Ike commented. "Why thank you. I'm also glad you lovely ladies aren't like the women I run into where I come from. They're usually all over me every time I go out somewhere. But you five aren't so overwhelming."

"Well, why am I not surprised?" Samus wondered rhetorically with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Link and Mario themselves finally caught glimpses of the scene. They merely growled to themselves in annoyance, but remained in their seats.

"He is really starting to push me," Link said.

"Me too," Mario agreed. "But…ugh, we just can't go near him. Bowser and Dedede don't even want to go near him!"

King Dedede was a round, penguin-like creature and Kirby's nemesis. He carried around a massive mallet and often hung out with Bowser and sometimes Ganondorf.

"I know, it's so freaking frustrating!" Link opined. "This whole situation we got ourselves into is frustrating!"

"I hear you…" Mario grumbled. "But this can't keep going on. Let's call a meeting tonight once things have calmed down some more."

"Yeah, good idea. We have to tell Ike the truth eventually. We can't hide from him forever."

"Yeah… I'm just afraid of how he's going to react."

"Sigh… Can't blame you there…"

Other than the attention from the women, however, Ike's day still didn't go much smoother. Lunch time was basically the same, and every time Ike attempted to have some practice matches with some of his friends or join a game or two, everyone just came up with some excuse on why they couldn't let him join or didn't want to train. Ike didn't mind spending time with the women, but he began to really miss the old activities he used to engage in. Granted, some of the people he hung out with more frequently weren't there yet, like Captain Falcon and Meta Knight, Kirby's serious bat-like rival, but still. Link, Toon Link, Pit, and even Marth barely ever approached him.

Marth's distance hurt the most. He was Ike's closest friend at the castle, they could relate to one another more than anyone else there. Sure, Marth was from a different part of the same world and was a prince, whereas Ike was a common mercenary and usually didn't like associating with nobility and royalty, but he could make exceptions. His own girlfriend was a queen, after all. Marth also had a girlfriend, a princess named Caeda, and the two would sometimes talk about their love lives too.

But this all seemed like ancient history now. Ike spent most of his time cooped up in his room, as what else was there for him to do? No one wanted to do anything with him and hanging out with five women wasn't something he wanted to do all day. He would either talk to his heart medal, polish it, polish Ragnell, or polish his armor. By the time dinner was near, all of them shined as bright as the sun. Ike surprisingly did not feel like going back downstairs, however. Normally, he jumped at meal times and looked forward to filling his stomach until it felt near ready to burst. He was particularly fond of meats. But this time, he was just too bored, irritated, and even depressed to be hungry.

Ike merely rolled over on his bed and sighed again, having shed his boots earlier. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Ike ignored it at first, as he was not in the mood for any company. However, a familiar voice soon called from the other side.

"Ike? Hey, Ike, um… May I come in for a minute?" Marth's voice wondered. "You _are_ in there, right?"

Ike let out yet another sigh before replying.

"Yeah, I'm here. But what do you care anymore?"

"Well, I… I want to talk. Please. I feel we should do so and I have something I need to tell you anyway."

"…Fine. I don't really feel like it, but it isn't like I have anything better to do right now."

"Oh, alright then."

Marth then entered the room and gently closed the door behind him. He frowned when he noticed Ike bunched up on his bed, faced away from him. _Ugh, I better not mess this up even more… _he thought.

"Hey," Marth greeted. "Listen… I know I screwed up big time. In fact, everyone did, and they know it."

"Pff, you think?" Ike retorted, still not turning around. "I'd like to know what the hell is going on. I'm being ignored, refused in games and training, and no one will even go near me. Except the girls, but that gets old after a while. Just what did I do to deserve this? Everyone acts like I'm going to shove Ragnell through their chests."

"You're right. You deserved a better welcome-back than this, and I feel bad that not even I gave you something better. But I've been a jerk to you lately, and I want to make it right."

"Well then, tell me why no one cares about me anymore. What are they so afraid of?"

"See… The truth is…" Marth began, scratching the back of his head. The truth is that…everyone had forgotten about you. Even I."

Ike turned over to face Marth in an instant.

"…What?"

"I-I know it was stupid for that to happen! But—"

"Marth, how in the hell of our world did you forget about _me?!_ How did anyone forget?!"

"We can explain, honest! Link and Mario wish to do so themselves though, and they wish for us to join the gang at a meeting right now. That's what I needed to tell you. I believe they all want to apologize and explain everything. Trust me. I was picked to come up here and let you know because I was the one you warmed up to the most last time."

Ike growled irritably, but how else was he going to figure out why everyone was behaving so oddly towards him?

"Well, why wait until now to tell me? I wouldn't have been as annoyed as before."

"Er, because…well…your new look kind of caught everyone off guard and they were afraid of getting you angry."

"…Seriously?! Marth, come on. Just because I'm stronger than I was before doesn't mean I'm going to throw a punch whenever I get upset. You should know that better than anyone here."

"You're right, I really should have known that. And I'm terribly sorry… Honest, I am. So please, come downstairs with me and let's get this all cleared up. You don't really want to stay up here and mope, do you?"

"Well, true, I don't. Just let me get my boots on."

"Alright. Thanks."

With that, Marth departed the room while Ike got off his bed and slipped his boots back on. He then rejoined Marth in the hall and the two headed downstairs to the main hall. Just as Marth had said, everyone was there waiting for them, including the newcomers. Mario and Link both stood in the middle of the group while the others made room for Marth and Ike to join them. Ike was glad that anyone finally wanted to approach and talk to him, though this still wasn't what he'd had in mind. Even so, hopefully Marth was right and the gang did want to apologize. The room was silent for a few moments, but eventually, Mario finally spoke up.

"Hey, Ike," he greeted. "We're glad you agreed to come down."

"Yeah, we are, honest," Link seconded. "We called this meeting just for you, you know."

"Right, let's just get this straight," Ike replied, folding his arms. "Marth told me that literally _all_ of you, except for the newcomers for obvious reasons, forgot about me entirely. You do know how that's making me feel right now?"

"I know, we can imagine. And we're really sorry that we hurt you so," Mario assured. "Everyone is. Honest."

"He's right, we all owe you a big apology," Link added. "There was a reason this had happened, though. We want to explain it to you. You deserve to know."

"Oh yeah? What good _reason_ could you possibly have for shoving me aside?" Ike inquired with a sarcastic chuckle.

"We'll tell you, but first you have to know that it's why we avoided you. We didn't want to make you really upset. And you seemed so happy to be back."

"Well, fine job at that, you did!" Ike spat.

"We did mess up bad, you're right," Mario agreed. "We were just…afraid of what you would do if you got really angry."

"That's what Marth told me. But it's utterly ridiculous. I'm not going to punch someone or shove my sword through someone's chest if you made a little mistake with the group members. Heck, I don't even have my sword with me right now."

"Yeah, but…considering what we're about to tell you, we just couldn't help it."

"Well then, explain."

"Right... See, we…didn't expect you to return," Mario admitted.

"…Seriously? After how much I enjoyed being a part of this and being a different sort of swordsman from Marth or Link? Why?"

"We received some news from one of the higher-ups," Link explained. "They said that someone else from your world, claiming to be from the same part as Marth, was trying to take your place. The higher-ups were considering letting him join."

Marth's eyes widened suddenly upon hearing these words, but Ike spoke before he could.

"…Are you SERIOUS?!" Ike thundered. "Someone was trying to _replace_ me?!"

"We thought that it was going to happen and after a while…you sort of slipped our minds," Mario finished. "And see, I knew it would make you mad."

"You're damn right I'm mad!" Ike agreed. "But I'd sooner go after this idiot than any of you guys. And Marth, why didn't you tell me? If he's from your area, surely you know him!"

"I…I didn't know. Honest, why wasn't I told of this?" Marth inquired. "I would've wanted to talk some sense into the guy myself."

"We knew you would be upset too," Link replied. "And we didn't want you guys to end up getting yourselves in trouble. Also, we aren't sure this guy's story is true yet. He claimed that he came from a future version of Altea, where it was renamed Ylisse. He does look like he could be from your world, and he has the blue hair, but that isn't solid proof. What's more, Marth… He claims to be your descendant, named Chrom."

"…You can't be serious."

"He speaks the truth," Mario confirmed. "But we don't know any other details. The higher-ups won't tell us. We're really sorry to both of you."

Ike growled before finally speaking again.

"This really pisses me off. I actually _would _love to give this guy a knuckle sandwich! But none of you are at fault for this. You were just listening to information you were given. So I accept your apology."

"Me too," Marth added. "You guys didn't really do anything wrong."

"Well, we should kind of apologize too…" Peach spoke up. "Ike, part of the reason we buttered you up was so you wouldn't be angry with us."

"Yeah," Zelda seconded. The other girls nodded in agreement. "But we really do love your new look! You're so strong and handsome!"

"Yes, that much is true!" Samus seconded. "Honest, it is."

"Figures," Ike commented. "But thanks anyway."

"Of course!" Peach replied with a smile.

"Well, despite what we heard, I have a hard time believing that someone would deliberately try to replace anyone," Marth said. "I'd wager that there was some sort of miscommunication between Chrom and the higher-ups. Someone misunderstood someone."

"That's a possibility. We'll have to see what happens," Ike agreed. "And if this Chrom does join the group, I want to talk to him personally."

"That's fine," Mario replied. "I don't blame you, really."

Ike smiled for the first time in hours before continuing.

"But for now, let's go enjoy some dinner. And can I sit with more than just the ladies this time?"

"Haha, of course you can," Link replied, returning the gesture. "We have no reason to avoid you now."

"That's for sure!" Mario agreed. "Oh, but before we go, you need a proper welcoming back!"

"Oh yeah, you certainly do!" Link agreed. "Welcome back, Ike!"

"Welcome back!" Mario repeated.

Everyone else soon followed suit and welcomed Ike back warmly. The ladies all gave him a hug and clung to his arms again, but he finally got what he had been waiting for all day. He shook hands with some of the newcomers, and Little Mac even agreed to arm wrestle with him later, at least until Captain Falcon finally arrived. Little Mac was a lot smaller than Ike, by a least a foot, but he had powerful-looking arms in his own right. Ike was looking forward to it.

The group then began heading towards the mess hall for the awaited dinner. Marth turned to Ike before following.

"Hey, Ike?" he inquired. "Hold on one second."

"Hm?" Ike replied, stopping and turning around again.

"We're still friends now, right?"

"Of course we are," Ike replied, smiling. "I never wanted to lose you as a friend."

"Heh, I'm glad!"

The two then joined hands in a bent elbow hand grasp and followed their fellow Smashers into the mess hall. At last, Ike could look forward to his stay. And hopefully now, he would be given a better welcome back in the future.

**Author's Note: Before someone asks, no, I'm not actually a Luigi x Rosalina shipper lol. It was just what came to mind when I wrote the one scene up there. I do ship Link x Zelda and Mario x Peach though. Luigi, I really don't mind who he gets with as long as it isn't Peach. :P  
**


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